France Latest Western European State To Bash The East

Macron Angers Poland With Comments

On the heels of criticism and legal action against Eastern European countries by the EU Parliament, over migrant policy and rule of law issues, France became the latest Western European country to lash out at a former Soviet satellite, Poland. The issue this time is labor reform, or another way to put it, attempts by Western Europe to limit labor movement, a cornerstone of the EU agreement.

While on a trip to Bulgaria, in which the intenerary conspicuously did not include Poland, French President Macron said of the Polish opposition to EU labor reform, this was “an illustration of the mistakes made by this [Polish} government.”

“Poland has decided to isolate itself from Europe and its refusal to revise this directive doesn’t change my confidence in (getting) a positive outcome” on the rules change, Macron said, adding Poles “deserved better.”

“The (Polish) prime minister will have difficulty explaining why it’s good to pay the Poles badly,” wrote Associated Press.

The primary reason for Macron’s desire to prevent Poles and other lower-cost labor from entering Western Europe is his belief the practice lowers wages for French citizens and makes it harder to fund France’s lavish welfare state.

The Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said in response, “The future of Europe will not be decided by the president of France, or by any other individual leader, but jointly, by all the member states.”